Chapter 188 Plans in action
Sage's POV
I sat in the hospital waiting room for about twenty minutes before I realized I was being ridiculous. Ryder had said he would meet me at the clubhouse, not here. There was no point in sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair watching other people's anxious faces when I had nowhere specific to be and only my own anxious thoughts for company.
I drove back to the clubhouse slowly. The roads were not quite busy even though it was barely early afternoon. The drive gave me too much time to think things over in my head. What club business was so urgent and private that I needed to leave the room? What was it about the president position that required that specific kind of secrecy?
Or was it not really about the club at all?
Maybe Jaxon was giving Ryder another layer of conditions on top of everything he had already said. Maybe now that I was out of the room he was expressing doubts he had been holding back while I was sitting there. Maybe the blessing he had given us in front of me looked different when it was just the two of them and he did not have to manage how I would react to what he was saying.
I told myself not to spiral into worst case scenarios. I tried that for about four minutes and then gave up on it and just let the thoughts run while I drove.
When I arrived at the clubhouse, I found Tommy in the small make shift kitchen trying to make a sandwich.
"Hey," he said, grinning when he saw me come in. "Heard you went to see Jaxon. How did he take the news that you and Ryder are official now?"
"News travels fast," I said.
"Always does in this club," Tommy said, reaching for a knife. "The brothers that were posted around the hospital for Jaxon's protection are not exactly known for discretion."
"Well in that case, I believe Jaxon took it well," I said.
"Where's Ryder?" Tommy asked. "I thought you two would be joined at the hip after everything."
"He's still at the hospital with Jaxon," I explained. "They're having some private club business conversations and I did not need to be present for that part."
"Ah." Tommy nodded with the knowing expression of a man who understood what that meant. "I can imagine what it's about. That makes a lot of sense. Especially with Jaxon planning to come back to his duties soon."
"Is he really planning to come back soon?" I asked. "He looked better than he did last two weeks, but he is still clearly in recovery."
"You know your brother better than any of us do," Tommy said. "He's stubborn when he decides he wants to be. I believe he'll push to come back the moment the doctors will let him. But Ryder has done a solid job holding everything together in the meantime. He gets his all fell apart."
We talked for a while at the kitchen counter. About the rebuilding efforts at the clubhouse, which were further along than I had expected. About the brothers who had died that night and how people were coping. About what the club looked like now compared to what it had looked like before. Tommy talked easily and I was grateful for the company.
About an hour later I heard a car pull up outside.
I looked through the window and saw Ryder stepping out of a taxi, his jacket on, looking a bit tired and distracted like someone whose head was still partly somewhere else. He looked up and saw me at the front door.
"Hey," I said when he came in. "How did it go?"
"Good," Ryder said. His tone was measured in a way that told me he was being careful about his response. "We talked about the timeline for when he'll be ready to come back."
"And?" I prompted.
"He wants to return as president in a few months once he is physically able to handle everything the role actually involves. He also wants me to stay on as VP after he's back."
"That's good," I said. "Is that what you want too?"
"Yeah," Ryder said. "It is. VP is where I belong. I never wanted the top seat long term."
But something about his expression told me there was more to the conversation than just club business.
"What else did you two talk about?" I asked.
Ryder and I looked at each other for a few seconds. I could see him deciding how much to tell me.
"Just recruiting plans," he said. "Financial stuff. Some leadership decisions that needed to be sorted. The usual boring administrative things."
"Ryder," I said. "I know you. I can tell there is more to it than that. What did Jaxon actually say to you?"
He sighed a long sigh. "He asked about my intentions with you. About where I see this going long term."
Oh," I wasn't really expecting that to be the angle Jaxon came from. "And what did you tell him?"
"The truth," Ryder said simply. "That I want forever with you. That I am serious about building a life with you. That I am not interested in anything less than that."
My heart swelled at his words. "Good. That's what I want too."
"Good," Ryder echoed.
But there was still something in his expression that seemed troubled. Like Jaxon had said something else that was bothering him.
I decided not to push him too much to tell me everything he and my brother discussed.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of pleasantries of brothers stopping by to say welcome home to me. By evening, most of the brothers had left and it was just Ryder, me and a handful of others at the clubhouse.
We sat on the couch in the main room, comfortable in the quiet after a long day. The past twenty-four hours had been so much to take in.
"So," Ryder said, turning to look at me. "Now that Jaxon has given us his blessing and everything is out in the open, we should talk about some practical things."
"Like what?" I asked.
"Like where you're going to live," Ryder said. "When are you planning to move in with me?"